KARACHI: Karachi’s traffic police have begun rolling out a citywide “faceless” electronic ticketing system, replacing traditional roadside fines with automated citations issued through surveillance cameras, a major shift in a city long plagued by chronic congestion, weak enforcement and crumbling roads.

The new system, launched on Oct. 27 with 1,076 surveillance cameras, is part of the larger “Karachi Safe City” program. Authorities say it will reduce corruption, improve compliance, and eventually cover the entire metropolis, one of the world’s largest megacities with an estimated 6.5 million registered vehicles.

Karachi’s road network has struggled to keep pace with explosive population growth. The World Bank’s Karachi Mobility Project notes that the city’s arterial roads were designed decades ago for far fewer vehicles. Congestion, informal traffic patterns, weak lane discipline and deteriorating surfaces mean average commuter speeds have steadily declined. A 2016 study by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) found that Karachi’s road infrastructure was “severely challenged” due to limited capacity and poor maintenance, issues that continue to fuel accidents and gridlock today. 

Against this backdrop of strained infrastructure, authorities say technology is the only way to enforce traffic rules at scale.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Kashif Nadeem said officers had stopped issuing physical tickets as the automated system began operations.

“We call it a faceless e-ticketing system,” Nadeem told Arab News. “It was begun with 1076 cameras. From Oct. 27 till date, around 51,000 e-tickets have been generated in this dashboard.”

Most violations, he said, involve failure to wear seat belts or motorcycle helmets, the use of mobile phones while driving, signal jumping and carrying excess passengers. Heavy transport vehicles are fined using onboard GPS trackers.

The system is expanding rapidly:

“Started from one thousand seventy-six cameras, it will go to twelve thousand cameras… On a daily basis, two to three major intersections are being refreshed — zebra crossings are being made more prominent,” he said.

PUBLIC FRUSTRATION

Despite official optimism, many commuters say Karachi’s road network is too broken for automated enforcement to feel fair.

“E-challan is correct, but it is better that roads be improved,” said driver Muhammad Ateeq. “Roads are very bad… Fix the roads, do e-challan, no problem, because people will follow the law.”

Another motorist, Lal Bux, complained that fines were excessive:

“It is wrong, challan is wrong, it is too much. Directly such a big challan… I have become fifty or sixty years old, where are (new roads)? The same roads that were made forty years ago, those same roads are still there.”

Low-income drivers say the penalties are financially devastating.

“This Rs5,000 ($18) or Rs10,000 ($36) for us it is like death, because we are poor,” said Hajji Muhammad Arshad, who earns about Rs20,000–25,000 ($72–90) a month. “How can we pay Rs10,000 ($36)?”

POSSIBLE ADJUSTS

Police say the system is backed by recent amendments to the Motor Vehicle Ordinance, which sharply increased fines across all categories.

“This has been done under legislation; lawmaking has been done, and it can only be reduced under legislation,” Nadeem said. 

He listed the fines as Rs5,000 ($18) for motorcycles, Rs10,000 ($36) for cars, Rs15,000 ($54) for light commercial vehicles, and Rs25,000 ($90) for heavy vehicles.

The Sindh government is now considering reducing penalties for first-time or minor violations following political pressure and widespread public complaints. However, officials say the automated system will remain in place.

Some road users, especially younger ones, also support the reform, saying compliance is ultimately a matter of safety.

“There is no question of objection, if you follow the rules, it will be beneficial for you,” said student biker Muhammad Umar. “If the side mirror is installed, if the helmet is worn… If you follow the signals there will be no fine.”

Still others argue that without repairing Karachi’s long-neglected roads, enforcement alone cannot change behavior.

“If you fix the roads, law compliance will also be better,” said Ateeq, accelerating as the light turned green. “If you don’t, law compliance will worsen.”